Nor could we be overly nice while eating, and since we had no
napkins on which to wipe our fingers, a plentiful supply of water
was necessary to cleanse one's hands, for these wild turkeys are
overly fat in the months of September and October, and he who holds
as much of the cooked flesh in his hand as is needed for a hearty
dinner, squeezes therefrom a considerable amount in the way of
grease.
We were better off for vessels in which to put our food, than in
many other respects, for we had of trencher bowls an abundance, and
the London Company had outfitted us with ware of iron, or of brass,
or of copper, until our poor table seemed laden with an exceeding
rich store.
CANDLES OR RUSHLIGHTS
To provide lights for ourselves, now that the evenings were grown
longer, was a much more difficult task than to cook without proper
conveniences, for it cost considerable labor. We had our choice
between the candle wood, as the pitch pine is called, or rushlights,
which last are made by stripping the outer bark from common rushes,
thus leaving the pith bare; then dipping these in tallow, or grease,
and allowing them to harden.
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